2013 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring FWD Review

Do you want sport with your utility, as in an engaging
driving experience in a midsize crossover? Meaning something more than
merely a transportation appliance? Then check out Mazda's CX-9. Offering
seating for up to seven people, the CX-9 has been around since 2007 and
gets its most major makeover yet for 2013. New front styling is the most
obvious difference, but there are changes inside as well that improve
passenger comfort and convenience with no decrease in the CX-9's sporty
character. To use a line right off the proverbial silver platter, the Mazda
CX-9 gives you room with your zoom-zoom.

Trim levels are the familiar Sport, Touring, and Grand
Touring. In all, power is from a 3.7-liter, 273-horsepower V6, driving the
front or, optionally, all four wheels. Like nearly all crossovers, the
CX-9's unibody structure features fully-independent suspension, but here
it's in a pleasant sport-touring state of tune, capable of being enjoyably
driven even on the backroads -- and just as capable of avoiding trouble.
(The driver has to be up to that, too…)

Standard equipment levels are high, even in the Sport, with
18-inch alloy wheels, three-zone automatic climate control, power windows,
mirrors, and door locks, a tilt- and telescope-adjustable steering wheel
with cruise and audio controls, and full suite of safety equipment found in
all. A 5.8-inch color multi-information display screen is now found at the
top of the center stack. Streaming Bluetooth® audio, USB input, and HD
radio are new to all models this year. The Touring gets leather seating
surfaces for the front and outboard second-row positions, the blind-spot
monitoring system, a rear backup camera, and backup sensors, and the Grand
Touring adds 20-inch alloy wheels, memory outside mirrors that
automatically tilt down in reverse, a power liftgate, LED running lights,
and fancier interior trim. Touring and Grand Touring have an available
"Technology Package" with a 10-speaker Bose® Centerpoint® audio system,
navigation system with real-time traffic, and other amenities depending on
trim level. Grand Touring models also can have a rear-seat entertainment
package and a towing prep package which increases towing ability from 2000
to 3500 pounds (and is standard with all-wheel drive). So there is a CX-9
for every midsize crossover need or desire.

What differentiates the CX-9 from its competition? After a
week with a front-drive Grand Touring with the technology and towing
packages, I'd say road manners and style. It's long, low for the genre, and
relatively narrow, so highway stability is excellent, as is legroom -- even
in the rear rows. It doesn't overflow a standard parking space but there is
enough width in the second row for three medium-sized adults, and,
depending on adjustments and passenger size, plenty of leg and head room
for all, in all three rows. Steering response and feel put it near the head
of the class in those categories. With good manners, plenty of room, and
plenty of zoom but a relatively modest appetite for regular unleaded, the
Mazda CX-9 is at the top of the upper middle-class upper-midsize crossover
class.

APPEARANCE: There are no trucks in the CX-9's ancestry. Take
a Mazda6 wagon (which we don't get here, so use your imagination) in a CAD
system, stretch it, make it a touch more muscular-looking, and you'd have
something very much like the CX-9. The front restyle, with a large, rounded
five-point grille with dark horizontal slats flanked by cat's-eye
headlamps, is far more cohesive than earlier styling. The long hood and
swept-back windshield establish sporty proportions, which are further
emphasized by strategically-placed character lines, large wheels and tires
filling the wheel arches, and the long, aerodynamically-tapering passenger
cabin. Plastic undertrays and air deflectors are not offroad skid plates,
they're there for underbody air management just like in a race car. And
consequent improved stability and fuel economy, and noise reduction. Chrome
trim around the side windows, and on the Grand Touring's door handles,
hints at luxury. A small visor spoiler tops the rear panel, which has new
taillights this year.

COMFORT: Space and grace are found inside. Interior design is
in the contemporary luxury idiom, clean, uncluttered, and simple. At Grand
Touring level, all of the expected luxury amenities are present --
proximity lock/unlock for the doors, power liftgate, power front seats
(heated) and of course power windows, mirrors, and door locks. Keyless
start/stop is by a rotary switch on the steering column. Instrumentation is
complete and brightly backlit; secondary information of the trip computer
variety is at the top of the center stack. Front seat comfort is very good.
With all important parameters power-adjustable on the driver's side plus
the (manual) tilt-and-telescope steering wheel, all drivers can find their
perfect driving position. Given the large expanse and rake of the
windshield, there is some glare, sometimes, but it's never objectionable or
obscuring. The second row contoured bench is split 60/40. Each part is
manually-adjustable, about five inches fore and aft, and can fold flat. Two
adults easily fit in first-class comfort, and the flat floor makes the
center position useable. The second-row sections slide forward easily for
access to the 50/50-split, two-place third row. Headroom is good for anyone
under 5-8, legroom back there depends on the second-row position; if it's
not all the way back, seven adults can fit in reasonable comfort - and
there is still more luggage space behind the third row than is found in
many sedan trunks. Folding the third and/or second rows only increases
cargo space to cavernous levels. To improve interior space, the space-saver
spare is mounted outside under the rear.

SAFETY: CX-9 passengers are surrounded with a strong central
safety cage and protective structures designed for controlled deformation.
Four-wheel ventilated disc brakes with antilock, traction control, and
dynamic stability control (DSC) improve active safety. The Roll Stability
Control system works with the DSC system to reduce the possibility of
rollovers. Dual front, front-seat side, and full-length side curtain
airbags are standard in all models. The Blind Spot Monitoring System uses
small cameras and software to check the areas to the sides of the vehicle,
especially in the hard-to-see area between easy visibility in the inside
mirror and outside mirrors. When there is something in those spots, even a
motorcycle, lights in the shape of cars on the outside mirrors will switch
on to alert the driver.

RIDE AND HANDLING: The platform in the CX-9's ancestry
belongs to the Mazda6 sedan, "platform" in this case meaning lower unibody
stampings, and basic suspension design and mounting points. It's stretched
and otherwise modified considerably for the CX-9, and serves admirably. The
unibody structure is strong and rigid, and the fully-independent MacPherson
strut front, multilink rear suspension is tuned in the manner of a European
sports sedan - firm, for minimal body roll and stability when cornering,
but damped correctly to ensure a high level of ride comfort. The steering
effort is spot-on, neither too light nor too heavy. The CX-9 is a pleasure
to drive, and feels lighter than its 4300 plus-pound weight on the road. If
you want sport with considerable utility and seven-passenger capacity,
there are few other choices.

PERFORMANCE: There haven't been any changes to the CX-9's
drivetrain since the 3.7-liter engine debuted in 2008. No worries, no
changes needed. The 3.7-liter, 24-valve, dual overhead cam aluminum alloy
V6 makes 273 horsepower at 6250 rpm, with torque peaking at 270 lb-ft at
4250 rpm -- and plenty below that, for effortless acceleration from any
speed. Merges into fast traffic from short on-ramps present no difficulty.
The six-speed automatic shifts quickly and well, and copious midrange
torque means that recourse to manual mode is never really a necessity, only
entertainment. Strong four-wheel vented disc brakes make is stop quickly
and securely. Fuel economy is mid-pack for the large-midsize class, at (in
FWD form) 17 mpg city, 24 highway, and just a fraction over 18 overall for
my week.

CONCLUSIONS: The Mazda CX-9 continues to offer comfort,
versatility, and interior space with powerful performance and a new look.